Letter to the Senate urging them to vote YES on the education jobs funds amendment to the small business bill

July 28, 2010

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the 3.2 million members of the National Education Association (NEA), we strongly urge you to VOTE YES on the education jobs amendment to the small business bill, expected on the floor imminently. This amendment will provide urgently needed funds to save educators' jobs and help protect students from ballooning class sizes and dramatic program cuts. This is NOT the House-passed version. It is an amended version with new offsets that fully pay for the education jobs fund. Votes associated with this issue WILL be scored in NEA’s Legislative Report Card for the 111th Congress.

The school year begins very soon in many states; Congress must complete its work on this important legislation now – to avoid devastating cuts and layoffs that will have long-lasting impacts on students. Without immediate Senate action, the looming layoffs of hundreds of thousands of educators will have a deep and likely irreversible impact on our students’ education and the future strength of our nation. We simply cannot ensure a competitive workforce if our children are going to school in overcrowded classrooms without the benefit of the programs, staff, and individual attention so essential for their success.

As students go back to school, their teachers will be heading to the unemployment office. Unless you act now, the numbers released in the fall will reflect hundreds of thousands of newly unemployed educators. According to the Economic Policy Institute, every 100,000 education jobs lost causes a loss of an additional 30,000 private sector jobs in local communities.

This vote is being watched closely by educators, parents, students, and many others deeply concerned about this education crisis. We strongly urge you to stand up for what is right and VOTE YES on the education jobs amendment.

[Poll name]

Email A Friend

Send This article to:

Enter the e-mail address of the recipient. Multiple addresses need to be separated by commas (200 characters max).

Add your message (optional):

Enter your e-mail address (required):

NEA respects your privacy! Your e-mail address, and that of your recipient, will be used only in the case of transmission errors and to let the recipient know who sent the story. The information will not be used for any other purpose.